DISCOVER PERU WITHOUT LIMITS

Program

There are only a few places in the world that are more magical and mysterious than Machu Picchu. The Citadel, towering on the ridge of Machu Picchu at an altitude of 2430 meters, was built in the 15th century, in the heyday of the Inca Empire. When the Spanish conquerors invaded Peru in the 30s of 16th century, Machu Picchu remained deserted and apparently forgotten until 1911, when the discoverer Hiram Bingham arrived at this place, later he published his discovery in National Geographic and thus Machu Picchu became world-famous. Machu Picchu is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and in 2007 was selected as one of New Wonders of the World.

In our offer we have several options to visit Machu Picchu:

1. Machu Picchu by Train (The classic route):

In the morning we leave Cusco in the minibus for the city of Poroy or Ollantaytambo (depending which train class we choose: Expedition, Vistadome, Belmond Hiram Bingham), where we change to the train and through the Valley of the Vilcanota / Urubamba River we will arrive to Aguas Calientes. Then we take the bus directly to the Machu Picchu archaeological complex. After the guided tour with our professional guide, we have time to explore the Citadel on our own tour and to take the photos. We get back to Aguas Calientes by bus. Here we have lunch and later we take the train to the train station of Poroy or Ollantaytambo where we change to the minibus that takes us to the city of Cusco. With this option, it is also possible to extend your stay in Aguas Calientes for one night and return to Cusco the next day. This option is usually offered with the possibility of climbing up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountains where more time is needed for this combined tour (in any case, the combined tour is recommended because of different view of the Machu Picchu Citadel).

2. Machu Picchu by Car (The alternative and economic option):

This is an alternative way to get to Machu Picchu and is also less economically challenging. From Cusco (3400 m), we arrive at 7.00am in the morning in the town of Ollantaytambo (2800m) in Sacred Valley and continue through the Pass of Abra Málaga (4300m), where we stop to enjoy the view of the Andes and descend into the small town Santa Teresa (1500 m above sea level), where we have lunch and then we arrive in the Santa Teresa Hydroelectric Plant (1800 m). This is where our trek begins, which takes about 2.5 hours along the Perú Rail track to the city of Aguas Calientes (2050 m) where we arrive at about 17.30h. Here we dine and sleep. The next day at 5.30hour morning we take the bus to Machu Picchu itself (an alternative is to climb up to Machu Picchu on foot about 450m = 45 min - 1 hour). At 6am, we begin our guided tour with our professional guide, after which we have time to explore the Citadel on our own tour and to take pictures. We get back to Aguas Calientes by bus or again on foot, at 11.30h at the latest, to reach the Santa Teresa hydroelectric power station alongside the railway track, where we the minibus pickes us at 14.30h up and we get back to the city of Cusco at about 21.30h. It is also possible to extend your stay in Aguas Calientes for one night and return to Cusco the next day. This option is usually offered with the possibility of climbing up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountains where more time is needed for this combined tour (in any case, the combined tour is recommended because of different view of the Machu Picchu Citadel).

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3. Machu Picchu reached by the several-day trekking tours wich we offer in the ADVENTURE section.